Motor vehicle with central locking

ABSTRACT

A vehicle comprises a central locking system for at least vehicle doors, with which system an electrical switch for changing the central locking system over to a locking or an unlocking state is associated, and an opening lever, which is pivotably disposed at an inside at least of one vehicle door, for opening thereof. The switch is associated with the opening lever inside the vehicle door such that, when the opening lever is pivoted out of an inoperative position into a first switched position, it effects a locking or an unlocking state of the central locking system, and the locking or unlocking state is maintained until the opening lever is again pivoted into its switched position.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a vehicle with a central locking system for atleast vehicle doors, with which system an electrical switch for changingthe central locking system over to a locking or an unlocking state isassociated, and an opening lever, which is pivotably disposed at aninside at least of one vehicle door, for opening thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

DE 35 23 432 C1 discloses a central locking system with multipositionoperation for locks, which can be operated by means of pneumatic orhydraulic actuating elements, on a vehicle, in particular for thedriver's and front passenger's door, as well as the rear doors. Thecentral locking system comprises a closing cylinder, which can beoperated by a key, at least at the driver's and front passenger's door.The closing cylinders are actively connected to the actuating elementsand electrical two-way switches. The operation of the closing cylinderby the key gives rise to a switching signal for triggering all the doorlocks into their locking or unlocking position by central assistedoperation. The central locking system also comprises a vehicle operationswitch which is formed as an ignition switch, and upon the manualoperation of which into the closed position, all the door locks arechanged over to their locking position. The door locks can be unlockedafter the switch has been operated into the open position. The centrallocking system also comprises a closing pushbutton in the passengercompartment for arbitrarily locking and unlocking the central lockingsystem and therefore all the door locks. Starting from the switchedposition of the ignition switch and the consequent central locking ofall the door locks, the arbitrary, manual depression of the pushbuttoninto its closed position gives rise to a switching signal for centralunlocking. A switching signal for the central locking of all the doorlocks is produced following the release of the pushbutton. However, aswitching signal for the central unlocking of the central locking systemis also delivered by means of the internal door operating handle of thedoor locks by closing a door contact switch. A switching signal for thecentral locking of all the doors by the central locking system isproduced after the door has been closed and the door contact switchconsequently opened. A switching signal for the central unlocking of allthe door locks is produced by the reversing change-over switch followingthe operation of the ignition switch into its open position when thedriver's or front passenger's door is opened by means of the internaldoor operating handle.

This central locking system has disadvantages in so far as thepushbutton must always be held in the depressed state in order to unlockthe door locks. Moreover, the pushbutton, as an additional component, isin most cases disposed at a location in the passenger compartment, forexample in a central control panel or in a control panel which ispositioned in the vehicle door, which cannot be easily reached by thedriver or, in particular, the front passenger, so that the operation andretention of the pushbutton results in the person carrying out theoperation adopting an awkward posture.

EP 0 634 548 B1 presents a locking system for a door with a lockingmechanism which can be locked or unlocked in order to prevent the doorfrom being opened or enable it to be opened, and a locking cylinderwhich is connected by means of a first rod to the locking mechanism andcan be operated from the outside of the door. The locking system alsocomprises a locking button which is connected by means of a second rodto the locking mechanism and can be operated from the inside of the doorbetween a locking position and an unlocked position of the lockingmechanism. The locking system further comprises a safety mechanism whichcan be electrically or electromagnetically operated in order to lock thelocking button in its locking position or in order to unlock the lockingbutton.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is to provide a vehicle with a centrallocking system of the type initially mentioned which, using simplemeans, enables the vehicle doors to be arbitrarily locked or unlockedfrom the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

The object is solved according to the invention in that the switch isassociated with the opening lever inside the vehicle door such that,when the opening lever is pivoted out of an inoperative position into afirst switched position, it effects a locking or an unlocking state ofthe central locking system, and the locking or unlocking state ismaintained until the opening lever is again pivoted into its switchedposition.

These measures provide a vehicle in which there is no switch foroperating the central locking system in a central control panel or in aswitch control panel disposed in the vehicle door. If the opening leveris moved out of the inoperative position into the first switchedposition, the switch generates a signal which causes the central lockingsystem to lock or unlock the vehicle doors, according to the lockingstate. The central locking system usually causes the vehicle doors andoptionally further closure flaps of the vehicle to be locked or unlockedby electronic means by acting upon corresponding actuating elements.Moreover, locked vehicle doors can be opened more reliably, as it issimply necessary to operate the opening lever. It is also unnecessaryfor the user of the opening lever to change his or her comfortableposture adopted in a seat of the vehicle in order to lock or unlock thevehicle doors, so that handling becomes extremely convenient.

In order to generate the signal for triggering the central lockingsystem, the opening lever is simply pivoted manually out of itsinoperative position into the first switched position until the switchintegrated into the mechanism of the opening lever is tripped. The userof the opening lever is made aware of the actuation of the switch in theusual way by touch and/or sound. When it is released, the opening leverreturns to its inoperative position through conventional means, forexample spring-actuated. The state into which the central locking systemhas been switched by the switch is maintained until the opening lever isagain brought into the switched position.

In order that the vehicle door may be mechanically opened by means ofthe opening lever, even when the central locking system is set in itslocked state, when pivoted out of the inoperative position into amechanical opening position for the vehicle door, the opening leverpreferably passes through a second switched position in which the switchgenerates a signal for unlocking the central locking system. Thisensures that the vehicle door is unlocked by the central locking systemimmediately before mechanical opening takes place.

The switch is expediently associated in a rotationally rigid manner witha pivot pin of the opening lever in order to obtain a structurallysimple assembly.

It is, of course, possible to provide a switch at the opening lever ofeach vehicle door. A plurality of switches are then connected togetherin a known manner, for example, by means of a central control unit,which is in any case associated with the central locking system, and canbe connected to the central locking system such that, upon operating anydesired opening lever, either all the vehicle doors or just the vehicledoor with the actuated switch are/is locked or unlocked or mechanicallyopened.

The features which are mentioned above and are to be illustrated in thefollowing can, of course, be used not just in the respective indicatedcombinations, but also in other combinations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is illustrated in detail in the following on the basis ofan embodiment, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an interior opening lever of avehicle door of a vehicle according to the invention and

FIG. 2 is a plan view onto the representation according to FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The opening lever 1 is disposed in a handle recess 2 at an inside of avehicle door for mechanically unlocking the latter and is mounted on thevehicle door in a known manner by means of a firmly connected pivot pin3. The pivot pin 3 extends perpendicularly from an underside 4 of thehandle recess 2 to a top side 5 of the handle recess 2. A switch 6,which is secured to the underside 4 of the handle recess 2, isassociated with the pivot pin 3 in a rotationally rigid manner. Theswitch 6 is electrically connected to a central locking system. Theswitch 6 can, of course, be provided at any vehicle door. In therepresented embodiment, the switch 6 is associated with a driver's doorof the vehicle, so that only the operation of this door is described inthe following.

The switch 6 is coupled to the pivot pin 3 of the opening lever 1 suchthat it causes the vehicle door to be locked or unlocked when theopening lever 1 is moved out of an inoperative position 7 into a firstswitched position 8, in which the switch 6 generates a signal forlocking or unlocking the central locking system and therefore thevehicle door, the opening lever 1 automatically returning from the firstswitched position 8 to its inoperative position 7 when released, and alocking or unlocking state of the central locking system beingmaintained until the opening lever 1 is again pivoted into the firstswitched position 8 (FIG. 2).

In order to reach the first switched position 8, in which the centrallocking system is locked or unlocked, according to the previous state ofthe central locking system, the opening lever 1 is pushed manuallytoward the outside of the driver's door, into the handle recess 2. Inorder to enter the vehicle, the vehicle doors are first unlocked bymeans of the central locking system, whereupon the driver's door can beopened with an operating element disposed at its outside. Once thedriver has entered, the driver's door is closed and is in the unlockedstate. If the driver now wishes to lock the driver's door or all thedoors of the vehicle, the driver only has to move the opening lever 1into the first switched position 8 by pushing the opening lever 1towards the outside of the driver's door. As a result, the pivot pin 3is rotated in the direction of the arrow 9 and the switch 6 accordinglyactuated. A signal which causes the central locking system to lock thedriver's door is therefore generated by the switch 6. After the openinglever 1 has been released, it returns, in particular in spring-actuatedfashion, to its inoperative position 7, i.e., a neutral position, andthe locking state is maintained. If the opening lever 1 is again pivotedinto the first switched position 8, a signal is again generated, thissignal causing the central locking system to unlock the driver's door.It is therefore possible, by operating the opening lever 1, to lock orunlock the driver's door or the vehicle doors, as desired at the time,by means of the central locking system.

A further function of the opening lever 1 is to mechanically open thedriver's door. For this purpose, the opening lever 1 is shifted from theinoperative position 7 into an opening position 11 which is reached bypivoting the opening lever 1 in the direction of the passengercompartment. The pivot pin 3 is in the process rotated in the directionof the arrow 12. In order for the driver's door, which may be in a statein which it is locked by the central locking system, to be firstlyunlocked by the central locking system, when the opening lever 1 ischanged over from the inoperative position 7 to the opening position 11,it passes through a second switched position 13 of the switch 6 (FIG.2), in which the switch 6 generates a signal which causes the centrallocking system to unlock the driver's door. This takes place before theopening position 11 is reached. The mechanical opening of the driver'sdoor then comes into play when the opening position 11 is reached.

1. A vehicle with a central locking system for at least vehicle doors, with which system an electrical switch for changing the central locking system over to a locking or an unlocking state is associated, and an opening lever, which is pivotably disposed at an inside at least of one vehicle door, for opening thereof, wherein the switch is associated with the opening lever inside the vehicle door such that, when the opening lever is pivoted out of an inoperative position into a first switched position, it effects a locking or an unlocking state of the central locking system, and the locking or unlocking state is maintained until the opening lever is again pivoted into its switched position.
 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, when pivoted out of the inoperative position into a mechanical opening position for the vehicle door, the opening lever passes through a second switched position in which the switch generates a signal for changing the central locking system over to the unlocking state.
 3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the switch is integrated into a mechanism of the opening lever.
 4. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the switch is integrated into a mechanism of the opening lever.
 5. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the switch is associated in a rotationally rigid manner with a pivot pin of the opening lever.
 6. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the switch is associated in a rotationally rigid manner with a pivot pin of the opening lever.
 7. The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the switch is associated in a rotationally rigid manner with a pivot pin of the opening lever.
 8. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the switch is associated in a rotationally rigid manner with a pivot pin of the opening lever.
 9. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the opening lever automatically returns from its switched position and the opening position to its inoperative position.
 10. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the opening lever automatically returns from its switched position and the opening position to its inoperative position.
 11. The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the opening lever automatically returns from its switched position and the opening position to its inoperative position.
 12. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the opening lever automatically returns from its switched position and the opening position to its inoperative position.
 13. The vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the opening lever automatically returns from its switched position and the opening position to its inoperative position.
 14. The vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the opening lever automatically returns from its switched position and the opening position to its inoperative position.
 15. The vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the opening lever automatically returns from its switched position and the opening position to its inoperative position.
 16. The vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the opening lever automatically returns from its switched position and the opening position to its inoperative position.
 17. The vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the opening lever returns in spring-loaded fashion to the inoperative position.
 18. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the opening lever returns in spring-loaded fashion to the inoperative position.
 19. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the opening lever returns in spring-loaded fashion to the inoperative position.
 20. The vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the opening lever returns in spring-loaded fashion to the inoperative position. 